Andrew Flintoff at his best is an unfettered force of nature. He hurtles to the crease with a channelled core of aggression, and bats with the complexity of a drunk in a bar-room brawl. In his misspent days of youth, he carried more bulk than the then heavyweight champion, Lennox Lewis, and to this day he can put away more ales than any England cricketer since the last great allrounder in their ranks, Ian Botham.

He inhales slip catches like a blue whale sifting plankton, and laps up the crowd's acclaim like the lord of all he surveys. There was a brief but glorious period, in the years 2003 to 2005, when it seemed as though there was no cricketing cause that could not be bent to his will. His mind and body came together as one to take glorious advantage of the natural talents that had been bestowed upon the man, and the plaudits that came his way have been matched by no Englishman since.

Sadly for Flintoff and England, those plaudits have not been matched by the man himself either, for he has been anything but unfettered in the last four years of his international existence. Where once he was as free-flowing as the Zambezi over Victoria Falls, now his career comes in regulated fits and spurts, as if held back by a mighty great dam of injury. His will to burst free has not been stymied in the slightest, but more often that not, his wholehearted galumphing cracks the plaster in his own increasingly brittle walls rather than the defences of his opponents.

His decision to retire from Test cricket has come as no surprise - the only thing that has raised eyebrows is the timing. Ricky Ponting, never slow to seize upon a perceived weakness in his opponents, has wondered out loud whether the remaining four Tests of the Ashes will be turned into a Flintoff farewell "circus", such as happened when Steve Waugh bowed out ahead of what turned out to be a mightily close-fought series against India in 2003-04.

Even if it does, however, is that necessarily a bad thing for England's series prospects? Simply by saying his piece now, Flintoff has achieved the release that he so desperately needed. The dam can now safely be broken, because there's no longer any reason to fear for what might happen if he is washed away in the flood. There will be no more watching through the cracks of the fingers when he starts to charge in for his 35th over of the innings, as he did at Cardiff, because going for broke - with not a jot of concern for the consequences - will be a return to his most natural and fearsome state.

In 2005, on the eve of the decisive Oval Test, Flintoff featured on the front page of the Sun, along with the following pledge: "I promise all readers that every drop of sweat we have in our bodies will be left at The Oval. We will give everything we have and more to win back the Ashes." He was true to his word back then, bowling 18 overs straight off the reel to secure his second (and peculiarly, his last) five-wicket haul. He'll be true to his word now. And if, as seems highly probable, he cannot make it all the way to the end, then at least he'll have the chance to take a few Aussies down with him.

Simply by saying his piece now, Flintoff has achieved the release that he so desperately needed. The dam can now safely be broken, because there's no longer any reason to fear for what might happens if he is washed away in the flood

"Nothing can fill you with as much excitement as an Ashes series. It's on a different level to any other competition you play in," said Flintoff during today's press conference at Lord's. There will be sadness that we shall never again see him in cricketing whites after this summer (and that probably goes for his Lancashire first-class career as well) and quite possibly there will be anger as well, that a man so central to the recent glories of Test cricket can be forced to take such a dramatic step to prolong his professional career.

All such debates will rage in the coming days, and other players will doubtless feel that a similar decision is the only prudent way to ensure that their years as professional cricketers are conducted as lucratively as possible. As Kumar Sangakkara said during the recent World Twenty20, Test cricket determines your place in history, not the zeroes in your bank account. Success in the Ashes, however, takes care of both, as Flintoff well knows from his previous success against Australia. Everything he is today stems from that heady summer.

In that regard it irks him that his record as a Test cricketer has stalled since he left the field in glory at The Oval. A triumphant performance immediately followed in Multan the following winter, when his titanic eight wickets on a dead deck were overlooked in England's defeat, and then of course came the miracle of Mumbai, when his lackadaisical leadership (with help from Johnny Cash) inspired England to level the series in the final Test against India.

When he returned to England the following summer, however, he was not the unfettered rampager of old. He was encumbered with the captaincy - a burden, like Botham before him, that ill suited such a free spirit (though both men were the last to admit it) - and it was on his own orders, in a devastatingly futile final day against Sri Lanka at Lord's, that he pounded his dodgy ankle through an innings tally of 51 overs, in a vain attempt to batter his way to victory. What might have happened had someone stepped in to protect him from himself that day?

That's not how it has been with Flintoff's post-2005 era, however. There has been no hiding from his own frailties (or indeed from England's inadequacies), and the lack of surprise or sentiment that greeted his casual announcement to the team on the Nursery Ground this morning confirmed that the end was an open secret. The statistics of Flintoff's recent involvement with England are almost insultingly grim - three wins and 13 losses in 23 Tests that he has played; 12 wins and three losses in the 25 Tests he has missed - and as Andrew Strauss confirmed, England as a team are no longer in thrall to his aura.

"I think we've shown signs there is life after Freddie," said Strauss. "He's always just been a constituent part of the side, and we've never believed we are a one-man team. Some young guys are coming through and looking the business - Jimmy [Anderson] and Stuart Broad have both bowled well when Fred hasn't been around. It's a shame this has come as soon as it has done, but the fact he's been injured so much in the last couple of years makes us better placed to deal with it than in the last couple of years."

Flintoff was the life and soul of the dressing room during the glory years of 2003-05; he has in recent years been more of a spectre, particularly for the more spookable players in the side, such as Anderson, who can't quite allow himself the same freedom of expression when his more demonstrative colleague is around, and averages almost 10 runs higher with the ball whenever they line up in the same bowling attack. For the rest of the summer, however, the truth is in the open, and the players can relax into their roles. It already feels like a boil of discontent has been lanced.

And then, finally, there is the impact this news will have on the fans, for Flintoff's rapport with his audience cuts through all classes and forces even the corporate-hospitality set to return to their seats to watch the action. In 2003-04 Waugh's grand farewell descended into mawkishness, with the entire SCG crowd waving trademark red hankies at Australia's captain as he descended for his final match-saving innings.

But that's unlikely to happen with salt-of-the-earth Fred. Surely the only appropriate send-off is a massive great piss-up in the stands - starting, of course, on Thursday at Lord's, a venue where England have not beaten Australia since 1934. It could well be that Flintoff's last stand will take place right here on the hallowed turf in the coming five days. What better way to bow out than with a performance that breaks a hoodoo.

Flintoff would never have made it into the side on his bowling or batting alone. Granted, the guy has guts and for one glorious season he will be remembered fondly, but overall his record is disappointing. In short, he batted better than most bowlers and bowled better than most batters, but never stamped his authority on the game over the long term. Nice bloke, good temperament, many times more talented than I am but unlikely to be remembered for more than his 2005 fireworks.

Shafaet
on July 16, 2009, 17:58 GMT

Flintoff, without any doubt, is a very overrated player. It seems like no people remembered anything about ashes 2007,all are talking about 2005. Thats not bad, cause players are finding inspirations from the great contest of 2005. ashes 2007 and others remind that how one-sided the tournament has become and thats bad for test cricket. Freddie, plz do something to repeat the history and invigorate the test cricket again,u got the ability.

baronsmirnoff
on July 16, 2009, 16:05 GMT

Why wait till the end of the Ashes go now and get someone who is fit and will do the job.
Hero that's an insult to those who are dying for this country just an over rated playerwho I for one will not miss

dochead
on July 16, 2009, 15:20 GMT

Nothing against Flintoff personally, but it's a bit telling after all the initial hullabaloo over him early in his career where people were saying "Move aside Jacques Kallis, here's Freddy!!" that Kallis has actually outlasted him in the serious form of the game.

Not the next Botham, rather a mini-Botham, same attitude, less skill.

bluethroat
on July 16, 2009, 13:43 GMT

Give Sidebottom similar number of chances as Fredie, I am sure his services will be more worth than Fredie.

SachinIsTheGreatest
on July 16, 2009, 13:06 GMT

All this for a cricketer whose career at the top level was all of 24 months. Either side of that Flintoff was an ordinary cricketer who could never perform consistently. Test cricket has had lots of individuals who were brilliant for a brief period in their careers and then fizzled out. Essentially Flintoff is one of that kind. Nothing more, nothing less.

NumberXI
on July 16, 2009, 10:39 GMT

"People's Hero"? Oh please, one Ashes series and Flintoff is talked up so much! Flintoff's story is one of hype, and more hype, with the reality being nowhere near the talking up he has received. While there is no denying his talent, I think that alone is not enough justification for how the likes of Miller are falling over themselves to celebrate a player who is essentially a one-series wonder.

allblue
on July 16, 2009, 10:01 GMT

As an England supporter I'm tired of the Flintoff myth. Modern cricket, as with all other sports, is based on athleticism, and that requires full-time dedication and commitment. The days of Dennis Compton turning up straight from an all night party to bat are long gone. In return for the substantial rewards (fair enough) cricketers have to be athletes, and live like athletes, before anything else. Flintoff has failed in this regard, whatever his carefully crafted management company spin may say. If he'd looked after himself properly he could have contributed so much more, the talent is there but the application hasn't been. In my view, he leaves Test cricket in debit, 'what might have been' rather than 'what was'.
Now he has just four games left to provide some of the magic that he has far too rarely produced, because at the peak of his potential he is a great player, but those peaks have been too few and far between. My assessment: Andrew Flintoff, might have been a great player.

JulesUK
on July 16, 2009, 8:44 GMT

This was inevitable sadly. Hopefully he will put in four more great perfornaces before bowing out of the test arena. After that he will still be around in the one dayers. He's a better one day player than test player anyway, one of if not the best death bowlers in the world, as shown recently in the West Indies.

Nitesh86
on July 16, 2009, 8:34 GMT

Andrew FLintoff...Freddie...as we all know him....was one of the best cricketers England have ever produced and it is very sad to see him retiring from Test Cricket.I agree that his fitness is the one of the causes....but i believe that underlying cause of the poor fitness of these fast bowlers is the condition of the TEST MATCH pitches now a days...where a fast bowler bowls with his whole heart...but cant get anything out of it....condition of pitches in ASIA and West Indies in Pathetic.I hope ICC looks into this..otherwise we will keep loosing such bowling greats...

NeilCameron
on July 17, 2009, 0:23 GMT

Flintoff would never have made it into the side on his bowling or batting alone. Granted, the guy has guts and for one glorious season he will be remembered fondly, but overall his record is disappointing. In short, he batted better than most bowlers and bowled better than most batters, but never stamped his authority on the game over the long term. Nice bloke, good temperament, many times more talented than I am but unlikely to be remembered for more than his 2005 fireworks.

Shafaet
on July 16, 2009, 17:58 GMT

Flintoff, without any doubt, is a very overrated player. It seems like no people remembered anything about ashes 2007,all are talking about 2005. Thats not bad, cause players are finding inspirations from the great contest of 2005. ashes 2007 and others remind that how one-sided the tournament has become and thats bad for test cricket. Freddie, plz do something to repeat the history and invigorate the test cricket again,u got the ability.

baronsmirnoff
on July 16, 2009, 16:05 GMT

Why wait till the end of the Ashes go now and get someone who is fit and will do the job.
Hero that's an insult to those who are dying for this country just an over rated playerwho I for one will not miss

dochead
on July 16, 2009, 15:20 GMT

Nothing against Flintoff personally, but it's a bit telling after all the initial hullabaloo over him early in his career where people were saying "Move aside Jacques Kallis, here's Freddy!!" that Kallis has actually outlasted him in the serious form of the game.

Not the next Botham, rather a mini-Botham, same attitude, less skill.

bluethroat
on July 16, 2009, 13:43 GMT

Give Sidebottom similar number of chances as Fredie, I am sure his services will be more worth than Fredie.

SachinIsTheGreatest
on July 16, 2009, 13:06 GMT

All this for a cricketer whose career at the top level was all of 24 months. Either side of that Flintoff was an ordinary cricketer who could never perform consistently. Test cricket has had lots of individuals who were brilliant for a brief period in their careers and then fizzled out. Essentially Flintoff is one of that kind. Nothing more, nothing less.

NumberXI
on July 16, 2009, 10:39 GMT

"People's Hero"? Oh please, one Ashes series and Flintoff is talked up so much! Flintoff's story is one of hype, and more hype, with the reality being nowhere near the talking up he has received. While there is no denying his talent, I think that alone is not enough justification for how the likes of Miller are falling over themselves to celebrate a player who is essentially a one-series wonder.

allblue
on July 16, 2009, 10:01 GMT

As an England supporter I'm tired of the Flintoff myth. Modern cricket, as with all other sports, is based on athleticism, and that requires full-time dedication and commitment. The days of Dennis Compton turning up straight from an all night party to bat are long gone. In return for the substantial rewards (fair enough) cricketers have to be athletes, and live like athletes, before anything else. Flintoff has failed in this regard, whatever his carefully crafted management company spin may say. If he'd looked after himself properly he could have contributed so much more, the talent is there but the application hasn't been. In my view, he leaves Test cricket in debit, 'what might have been' rather than 'what was'.
Now he has just four games left to provide some of the magic that he has far too rarely produced, because at the peak of his potential he is a great player, but those peaks have been too few and far between. My assessment: Andrew Flintoff, might have been a great player.

JulesUK
on July 16, 2009, 8:44 GMT

This was inevitable sadly. Hopefully he will put in four more great perfornaces before bowing out of the test arena. After that he will still be around in the one dayers. He's a better one day player than test player anyway, one of if not the best death bowlers in the world, as shown recently in the West Indies.

Nitesh86
on July 16, 2009, 8:34 GMT

Andrew FLintoff...Freddie...as we all know him....was one of the best cricketers England have ever produced and it is very sad to see him retiring from Test Cricket.I agree that his fitness is the one of the causes....but i believe that underlying cause of the poor fitness of these fast bowlers is the condition of the TEST MATCH pitches now a days...where a fast bowler bowls with his whole heart...but cant get anything out of it....condition of pitches in ASIA and West Indies in Pathetic.I hope ICC looks into this..otherwise we will keep loosing such bowling greats...

boris6491
on July 16, 2009, 8:20 GMT

I wouldn't be so sure about Flintoff making a huge impression in this series. Apart from a hostile opening 5-7 overs, he was at best mediocre and showed a few signs of some batting form that has eluded him for the best part of 4 years. He made the right decision to retire from test cricket to prolong his own career and for the sake of his country who are ridiculously dependent on him, a player who hasnt really lived up to the mighty reputation he has had for such a long period of time. Now, they can look at young talent waiting in the wings who can really make a good difference to English cricket.

All-rounders being the rarest and greatest assets of any cricket team,are truely free-spirited players.They are the ones who enjoy and play the game to its fullest.Sobers,Botham,Kapil,Imran,Hadlee,Miller,Mankad are the real all-rounders.Flintoff had it in him to be in this category.Unfortunately for him and us,he could not accomplish all his talent at test level,thanks to his injuries.However,he will still be remembered as a great player and will play the other formats.It is disgusting that we call those who bowl a couple of overs and score 30 runs as all-rounders. Hopefully,for his sake and his team`s,Freddie will give a final hero`s performance and hwlp England win the Ashes.

jamrith
on July 16, 2009, 7:18 GMT

A real character leaves the game, somewhat like Warnie. I doubt that too many will lament the day when people like Ponting retire, great batsman he undoubtedly is but a thoroughly disagreeable and peevish person.

Nipun
on July 16, 2009, 5:26 GMT

Andrew Flintoff's timing of this decision has been wonderful.His fitness issues haven't helped England at all since 2005,as they would be unsettling to any team.But yes,since 2005,Flintoff has been simply a hard working,committed fast bowler with not enough wickets to show.His batting has been just about as good as Mashrafe Mortaza really.So performancewise,there's no reason why England should miss him.But England will miss his commitment,determination,& presence.Wishing Fred best of luck.

AJ_Tiger86
on July 16, 2009, 5:20 GMT

Freddie Flintoff can single-handedly win the Ashes for England. He won't get too emotional, so his performance won't be affected. The crowd will get right behind him and this can lift the whole England team. If he can remain fit for the five tests, he can surpass his performance at the 2005 series and make this series the highlight of his career. So it's understandable why Ricky Ponting is so afraid.

vvvrulz
on July 16, 2009, 2:57 GMT

Andrew Flintoff is overrated.

Quite frankly I am tired of hearing about how fantastic he is when his record is a shade above average, at best. Yes he had a very good Ashes '05, but being made the pin-up boy of that series ensured the real heroes like Vaughan, Hoggard and Simon Jones were forgotten. As a player I don't rate him any higher than I would rate Chris Cairns.

He only managed to show some shades of 2005 from then onwards. How quickly the return Ashes tour to Australia was forgotten. Barely anyone on Cricinfo talks about it in comparison to 2005. And I actually support the England team over the Aussies.

Inspirational? This is the same Flintoff who has turned up to practice drunk, and helped ruin the 2007 World Cup campaign with the pedalo stupidity. Both Michael Vaughan and Duncan Fletcher expressed their disappointment.

His retirement is a blessing in disguise. This will stop the sweating on his form and injuries and start recognizing Englands real talent.

CustomKid
on July 15, 2009, 23:34 GMT

Well summed up Andrew and there with in lies the problem. He had 2 years of good cricket and some how that makes him the greatest cricketing allrounder in this generation? On his day he could be devastating - 2005 ashes was his crowing glory but get over it, its time to move on from that series. 2005 would appear to be the sporting equivalent of the Battle of Britain it makes me sick. How has he faired in the other 3 ashes series he's played? His record speaks for itself, he is average at best.

If he had an ounce of respect for his body, he wouldn't be carrying the weight of Lennox Lewis. Had he got in to shape I have no doubt he could rival the all time greats, but his lacklustre condition has no doubt led to his never ending injury cycle which is self inflicted. Sure he's got heart but being able to nail 15 pints in an hour doesn't cut it I'm sorry. He's not in the same ball park as a Botham or Kaillis but falls in to the category of almost but not quite, a wasted talent.

Lazys0d1990
on July 15, 2009, 21:11 GMT

Too much cricket. That's the problem. The boards are so desperate to squeeze every last cent out of players like Flintoff they're killing their careers. Ah Well. Lalit Modi is gonna be happy 'cause he's getting what he wants, all the best cricketers in the world in his pocket... Who cares about Test cricket eh?

aditya87
on July 15, 2009, 20:39 GMT

It is utter arrogance from Ricky Ponting to suggest that the India tour of 2003-04 was almost lost by them because they were distracted by Steve Waugh's farewell. Give credit to India, they batted brilliantly and the Australian bowlers were made to work hard.
Good luck Fred for the rest of the series, let's hope he entertains by taking wickets and making runs. I think his retirement will spur England on.

No featured comments at the moment.

aditya87
on July 15, 2009, 20:39 GMT

It is utter arrogance from Ricky Ponting to suggest that the India tour of 2003-04 was almost lost by them because they were distracted by Steve Waugh's farewell. Give credit to India, they batted brilliantly and the Australian bowlers were made to work hard.
Good luck Fred for the rest of the series, let's hope he entertains by taking wickets and making runs. I think his retirement will spur England on.

Lazys0d1990
on July 15, 2009, 21:11 GMT

Too much cricket. That's the problem. The boards are so desperate to squeeze every last cent out of players like Flintoff they're killing their careers. Ah Well. Lalit Modi is gonna be happy 'cause he's getting what he wants, all the best cricketers in the world in his pocket... Who cares about Test cricket eh?

CustomKid
on July 15, 2009, 23:34 GMT

Well summed up Andrew and there with in lies the problem. He had 2 years of good cricket and some how that makes him the greatest cricketing allrounder in this generation? On his day he could be devastating - 2005 ashes was his crowing glory but get over it, its time to move on from that series. 2005 would appear to be the sporting equivalent of the Battle of Britain it makes me sick. How has he faired in the other 3 ashes series he's played? His record speaks for itself, he is average at best.

If he had an ounce of respect for his body, he wouldn't be carrying the weight of Lennox Lewis. Had he got in to shape I have no doubt he could rival the all time greats, but his lacklustre condition has no doubt led to his never ending injury cycle which is self inflicted. Sure he's got heart but being able to nail 15 pints in an hour doesn't cut it I'm sorry. He's not in the same ball park as a Botham or Kaillis but falls in to the category of almost but not quite, a wasted talent.

vvvrulz
on July 16, 2009, 2:57 GMT

Andrew Flintoff is overrated.

Quite frankly I am tired of hearing about how fantastic he is when his record is a shade above average, at best. Yes he had a very good Ashes '05, but being made the pin-up boy of that series ensured the real heroes like Vaughan, Hoggard and Simon Jones were forgotten. As a player I don't rate him any higher than I would rate Chris Cairns.

He only managed to show some shades of 2005 from then onwards. How quickly the return Ashes tour to Australia was forgotten. Barely anyone on Cricinfo talks about it in comparison to 2005. And I actually support the England team over the Aussies.

Inspirational? This is the same Flintoff who has turned up to practice drunk, and helped ruin the 2007 World Cup campaign with the pedalo stupidity. Both Michael Vaughan and Duncan Fletcher expressed their disappointment.

His retirement is a blessing in disguise. This will stop the sweating on his form and injuries and start recognizing Englands real talent.

AJ_Tiger86
on July 16, 2009, 5:20 GMT

Freddie Flintoff can single-handedly win the Ashes for England. He won't get too emotional, so his performance won't be affected. The crowd will get right behind him and this can lift the whole England team. If he can remain fit for the five tests, he can surpass his performance at the 2005 series and make this series the highlight of his career. So it's understandable why Ricky Ponting is so afraid.

Nipun
on July 16, 2009, 5:26 GMT

Andrew Flintoff's timing of this decision has been wonderful.His fitness issues haven't helped England at all since 2005,as they would be unsettling to any team.But yes,since 2005,Flintoff has been simply a hard working,committed fast bowler with not enough wickets to show.His batting has been just about as good as Mashrafe Mortaza really.So performancewise,there's no reason why England should miss him.But England will miss his commitment,determination,& presence.Wishing Fred best of luck.

jamrith
on July 16, 2009, 7:18 GMT

A real character leaves the game, somewhat like Warnie. I doubt that too many will lament the day when people like Ponting retire, great batsman he undoubtedly is but a thoroughly disagreeable and peevish person.

vibh_ch
on July 16, 2009, 7:51 GMT

All-rounders being the rarest and greatest assets of any cricket team,are truely free-spirited players.They are the ones who enjoy and play the game to its fullest.Sobers,Botham,Kapil,Imran,Hadlee,Miller,Mankad are the real all-rounders.Flintoff had it in him to be in this category.Unfortunately for him and us,he could not accomplish all his talent at test level,thanks to his injuries.However,he will still be remembered as a great player and will play the other formats.It is disgusting that we call those who bowl a couple of overs and score 30 runs as all-rounders. Hopefully,for his sake and his team`s,Freddie will give a final hero`s performance and hwlp England win the Ashes.

I wouldn't be so sure about Flintoff making a huge impression in this series. Apart from a hostile opening 5-7 overs, he was at best mediocre and showed a few signs of some batting form that has eluded him for the best part of 4 years. He made the right decision to retire from test cricket to prolong his own career and for the sake of his country who are ridiculously dependent on him, a player who hasnt really lived up to the mighty reputation he has had for such a long period of time. Now, they can look at young talent waiting in the wings who can really make a good difference to English cricket.